{"id":58652,"date":"2025-08-11T07:21:10","date_gmt":"2025-08-11T07:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/58652\/"},"modified":"2025-08-11T07:21:10","modified_gmt":"2025-08-11T07:21:10","slug":"anxious-millennials-are-turning-to-exercise-how-effective-is-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/58652\/","title":{"rendered":"Anxious Millennials Are Turning To Exercise. How Effective Is It?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Millennials prioritise exercise more than any other generation in the UK \u2013 and almost a fifth admit they do it to alleviate anxiety<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s according to new research from YouGov, on behalf of lifestyle hospitality brand The Social Hub,<\/a> which revealed almost one in five (19%) millennials work from home just to ensure they can fit workouts into their day.<\/p>\n

Around one in 10 of us will be living with an anxiety disorder at any one time, according to Mental Health UK, <\/a>which equates to roughly eight million people. <\/p>\n

So, does exercise really help to alleviate anxiety?<\/p>\n

Studies have noted links between exercise and reduced anxiety levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One study<\/a> looked into whether a 12-week exercise intervention could reduce anxiety symptoms in those with anxiety disorders and found \u201clarge improvements\u201d in the groups that did exercise. <\/p>\n

John J Ratey, an associate clinical professor at Harvard Medical School, <\/a>said: \u201cAs a psychiatrist who studies the effects of exercise on the brain, I\u2019ve not only seen the science, I\u2019ve witnessed firsthand how physical activity affects my patients.<\/p>\n

\u201cResearch shows aerobic exercise is especially helpful. A simple bike ride, dance class, or even a brisk walk<\/a> can be a powerful tool for those suffering from chronic anxiety.<\/p>\n

\u201cActivities like these also help people who are feeling overly nervous and anxious about an upcoming test, a big presentation, or an important meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018Fitness is now a non-negotiable\u2019<\/p>\n

The Social Hub offers support for members\u2019 wellbeing through on-site fitness, mental health resources, and nutritious food<\/a> options. Tasha Young, chief membership officer at The Social Hub, said: \u201cWe see how people\u2019s needs are changing: fitness is now a non-negotiable and it happens every hour of the day.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather than just being for physical health, it\u2019s about mental health too. No one should have to compromise between work<\/a>, exercising, and supporting their headspace. \u201d<\/p>\n

How to start exercising to help your anxiety<\/p>\n

Ratey advises the following steps:<\/p>\n

Choose something enjoyable so you will do it repeatedly, building resilienceWork towards getting your heart rate upWork out with a friend or in a group to reap the added benefit of social supportIf possible, exercise in nature or green spaces, which further lowers stress and anxiety.<\/p>\n

Help and support:<\/p>\n

Mind<\/a>, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.Samaritans<\/a> offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).CALM<\/a> (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service<\/a>.The Mix<\/a> is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk<\/a>Rethink Mental Illness<\/a> offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Millennials prioritise exercise more than any other generation in the UK \u2013 and almost a fifth admit they…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":58653,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[6647,102,1906,56,54,55,4874],"class_list":{"0":"post-58652","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-fitness","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-mental-health","11":"tag-uk","12":"tag-united-kingdom","13":"tag-unitedkingdom","14":"tag-wellbeing"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58652","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58652"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58652\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/58653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58652"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58652"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58652"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}